Conveyer



Dec. 4, 19.34. T, G. NYBORG 1,983,484

CONVEYERl Filed sept. 27, 1935 Fig. 1..

Patented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVEYER Application September 27, 1933, Serial No. 691,198 In Great Britain October 13, 1932 13 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements relating to conveyers and has for its obect to provide improved arrangements for coupling together the adjacent sections or troughs, more particularly of jigging conveyers.

There have been various proposals for coupling adjacent sections together by means of wedges, and the present invention is more specically concerned with` an improved device of this description.

In order tol couple togetherl the trough sections straps are provided at the ends of the troughs and these straps are drawn and held together. But since the straps generally lie under l5- the overhanging edges of the trough, the vertical movement available for a vertical wedge is limited. The taper of the wedge should be comparatively slight in order that it may maintain its frictional grip.

The idea underlying the invention is to leave the wedge some freedom to move endwise when in itsl workingv position, gravity (or possibly spring)y action ensuring that it will none the less always tend to work home; but to provide somemeans (preferably a movable abutment lying against one of the pressure surfaces of the wedge) to ensure that this permitted freedom is not suicient to enable the troughs to be uncoupled until a. releasing movement has been performed which has the effect of increasing the wedge clearance sufciently topermit of uncoupling by drawing the wedge back without actually removingit. Momentary slackening of theI pressure on the pressure surfaces of the wedge is thus immaterial.`

A preferred: construction is illustrated by the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 a plan showing theparts in working v position, while Figures 3- andk 4 are corresponding views of thevparts-prepared for release. l

As illustratedthe lstrap 1 at the endo-f; one trough 2 projects more or less horizontally and is spannedAA by a link Vor yoke piece 3 pivoted to the strap at 4 so as to be able to swing horizontally. Itis of sufficient length to extend beyond the far edge of the strap 5 upon the adjacent trough 6 when the sections are coupled together. An aperture r1 passes through the yoke piece to accommodate a vertical wedge 8 and a movable and lockable abutment is carried in the yoke piece outside the wedge. The movable abutment may take various forms, for example, an eccentric spindle or cam,. key orA stepped block, and in a typical form comprises. a slidable stepped block or key 9 with locking means as hereinaftery described..

The wedge 8 is anchored in the aperture by means oi suitable pins 10,10, rings, or the like at -both ends, and the arrangement is such that so long` as the abutment formed by the wider portion of the key 9 is in the position shown at Figures 1 and 2 giving minimum wedge clearance, the wedge can be raised to its full height without leaving suicient clearance for it to be carried round the corner of the second strap 5 when the yoke piece Bis swung about the strap 1. The stepped key 9 lies within the end of the yoke piece 3 and has a slot 11 cut into its upper face terminating in a through hole 12'. A locking pin 13 with an enlarged head 14 is passed upwardly through the yoke piece, the head being however, too large to pass through the upper limb of the latter. The pin is bent over'the top of the yoke piece or otherwise prevented from falling back` too far. rlhe head 14 of the pin engages in the slot 11 in the sliding key and when the key is pushed into the position giving least wedge clearance or working position as `shown at Figures 1 and 2, the head of the pin falls down into the through hole andthe key is locked in position until the pin is raised.

In order to release the connection the wedge is knocked up and the pin 13 raised, the key 9 slid back to aliord. wedge clearance all as indicated at Figures 3 and 4. The link or yoke piece can then be swung out with the Wedge held raised, the clearance being now sufficient to swing the wedge 9 free of the second strap 5.

It will be seen that release can be effected at each side ofthe trough separately without moving the troughs and that -a mere momentary loosening of the wedge does not free the joint since there is not sufficient lclearance until the abutment has also been freed and moved.

The construction has the further advantage that in case the troughs are tor be packed out of line, a reduced portion of the removable abutment may be brought into position behind the wedge and a packing piece inserted between the straps 1 and 5.

To connect the troughs itis suicient first to holdup the wedge Sand push in the key 9. The wedge can then be dropped and the locking pin 13y pushed in.v The shaking action of the conveyer will itself insure that the wedge comes into its working position and locks the coupling.

Itwill b e observed that there are no loose parts edr coupling position,

whatever, the wedge, key and locking pin being all captive and incapable of removal.

The invention provides a swinging link and wedge construction in which there is insuicient wedge clearance for the link to be swung free until a second release operation has also been periormed. Other mechanicalarrangements may be adopted for the release arrangement; thus for example in one alternative the wedge may be prevented from rising to more than a slight extent, until a locked abutment at its lower end has been released and turned or moved so that it can enter the aperture in the lower part of the strap and various other mechanical equivalents may be adopted without departing from the invention.

What I claim as my invention is:-

l. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a coupling member adapted to holdsaid sections in coupled relation, a wedge member capable of limited movement when in the working position and adapted to lock said coupling member in the coupling position, the wedge operating to automatically nd its way to the end of the limited movement of which it is capable in the working position to draw up the sections, and a movable variable abutment permitting in one position suflicient clearance to the wedge to allow of disconnection of the sections but insufficient clearance in the working position.

2. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a coupling member adapted to hold said sections in coupled relation, a wedge 'f member capable of limited endwise movement when in the working position and adapted to lock said coupling member in the coupling position, and a movable stepped abutment, movement of which into the working position renders the full endwise movement of the wedge member insuiiicient for the disconnection of the parts, said wedge tending automatically to take its position oi minimum clearance.

3. A coupling for adjacent sections of conr' veyers comprising projections on said sections,

a coupling member adapted to couple said projections, a wedge member capable of limited endwise movement when in the coupling position and adapted to lock the coupling member in the and a movable member adapted in one position to allow insunicient clearance of the wedge member for disconnection of the parts, said wedge being substantially vertically arranged with its larger end upperf most, the angle of the wedge being less than of conon said ,l in the coupling position, and a movable stepped abutment in contact with a pressure surface of said wedge member and capable of movement into two positions in one of which it allows sulicient clearance of the wedge member for 'Y the parts to be disconnected and in the other 70 veyers comprising a projection on one of said sections, a swinging link carried by the other of said sections and adapted to enclose said projection to couple said sections, a wedge passing through an aperture in said link movable endwise to lock said link in the coupling position and capable of limited endwise movement in the working position and a variable abutment situated between a pressure face of said wedge and the end of said link and capable of movement to vary the clearance of said wedge to permit or prevent disengagement of the sections, saidwedge tending automatically to take a position of minimum clearance.

6. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a projection on one of said sections, a swinging link carried by the other of said sections and adapted to enclose said projection to couple said sections, a wedge passing through an aperture in said link adapted to llock said link in a coupling position and capable of limited endwise movement in the working position, a variable abutment situated between a pressure face of said wedge and the end of said link, and capable of movement to vary the clearance of said wedge to -permit or prevent disengagement of the sections and means tending to force said wedge in a direction to reduce its clearance.

'7. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a projection on one of said sections, a swinging link carried by the other of said sections and adapted to enclose said projection to couple said sections, a wedge passing through an aperture in said link and having limited endwise movement to lock said link in the coupling position, a stepped key situated between a pressure face of said wedge and the end of said link and capable of movement transversely of said wedge to vary the clearance thereof to permit or prevent disengagement of the sections, and means for preventing detachment of the key from the link.

8. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a projection on one of said sections, a swinging member carried by the other of said sections and adapted to enclose said projection to couple said sections, a wedge passing through an aperture in said link and having limited endwise movement to lock said link in the coupling position a Variable abutment situated between a pressure face of said wedge and the end of said link and capable of movement to varyfthe wedge clearance to permit or prevent disengagement of the sections, and captive means preventing detachment of said abutment from said link, said captive means allowing movement of said abutment but being adapted to lock it in the position giving minimum wedge clearance.

9. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a link for coupling said sections, a projection on one of said sections, a wedge member having limited endwise movement, a variable abutment member situated between a pressure face of said wedge member and the end of said link, a slot inV said abutment member having a deepened portion, and a pin having an enlarged head adapted to move in said slot and having a portion cooperating with said link to prevent detachment of said abutment member therefrom, said pin allowing movement ico izo

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slot, to lock said abutment member in a position preventing disengagement of said sections.

10. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a coupling member adapted to hold said sections in coupled relation, a Wedge member adapted to lock said coupling member in the coupling position, a variable abutment movable to vary the clearance of said wedge to permit or prevent disconnection of said sections, said wedge being capable of limited endwise movement in all positions of said variable abutment but tending to take up its position of minimum clearance.

l1. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers comprising a coupling member adapted to hold said sections in coupled relation, a Wedge member capable at all times of limited endwise movement and adapted to lock said coupling member in the coupling position, a variable abutment cooperating With a Working face of said Wedge and movable to vary the maximum clearance of said Wedge toallow or prevent disconnection of said sections, said Wedge tending automatically to take up its position of minimum clearance.

12. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers, comprising a coupling member adapted to hold said sections in coupled relation, a Wedge capable of limited endwise movement in the Working position, and a manually adjustable element cooperating with the Wedge and serving in one position to permit endwise movement of the wedge to free the coupling and in another position to prevent endwise movement of the wedge from freeing the coupling, said member being Without effect on the 'limited endwise movement of the Wedge in working position.

13. A coupling for adjacent sections of conveyers, comprising a coupling member to hold said sections in coupled relation, a Wedge cooperating with the coupling member and capable of limited endwise movement in its Working position, and means for normally holding the wedge in such relation to the coupling member as to prevent such limited endwise movement from freeing the coupling member, said means being movable at Will to afford wedging movement Within its limited endwise movement toI free the coupling member.

TAGE GEORG NYBORG. 

